WEARABLES · REVIEW ROUNDUP
Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra 2: what the reviews say
By S. Dahani and the RealDigitalTech editorial team
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 costs $699.99 in the US. It is thinner than the first Ultra, with an 800 mAh battery that lasts three to four days, but it remains a large watch.
© Samsung
Quick Take
Key figures
Launch details
TechRadar lists a release date of 22 July 2026 for the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, at $699.99 in the US and £649 in the UK. That is $50 more than the first Ultra, according to Tom's Guide. It comes in one 47 mm titanium case weighing about 61 g. TechRadar and Wareable report that it uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Elite chip. It sits at the top of Samsung's watch range, above the standard Galaxy Watch.
What reviewers agree on
- Battery: Samsung claims up to 60 hours with the always-on display; Tom's Guide got about 72 hours and Wareable around four days of heavy use.
- Thinner design: the case is about 12% slimmer than the original and the bands are lighter, which makes it more comfortable.
- Screen: at 5,000 nits, Tom's Guide calls it one of the brightest displays on a full-featured wearable.
- New wellness data: a Vitals overnight dashboard, Daily Cardio Load and a Fitness Index, with no paywall according to Tom's Guide.
- Size: everyone agrees it is still a big watch for small wrists.
Where opinions differ
| Topic | Favourable view | Reserved view |
|---|---|---|
| Heart rate | Wareable praises its heart rate accuracy. | TechRadar saw some drift at the start of workouts, corrected after 10–15 minutes. |
| Outdoor use | Tom's Guide values the dive certification and tougher build. | Tom's Guide found elevation tracking unreliable and missed modes such as mountain biking. |
| Design | TechRadar says Samsung has toned down the bulky look. | TechRadar still finds the Apple Watch Ultra 3 better designed. |
| Compatibility | Wareable calls it the Wear OS watch to beat. | Wareable notes some health features only work with Samsung phones. |
Scores: 4.1/5 from TechRadar.
Verdict
The Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 is the Android watch to buy if you own a Samsung phone and want multi-day battery life and an outdoor-ready build. If you have small wrists or a smaller budget, the standard model covered in our Galaxy Watch 9 analysis is a better fit; serious runners may also look at the Garmin Forerunner 970, which TechRadar cites as an alternative.
This article analyses reviews published by other outlets, in our own words. RealDigitalTech did not test the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 itself.
Sources
How this article was made: our editorial team selected and read the reviews listed above, compared their results and wrote this synthesis, with AI tools assisting the research and drafting. Every figure was checked against the sources, and the article was approved by the publication director. Our AI Disclosure · Our methodology · Report an error: editorial@realdigitaltech.com